Open Forum

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?! 
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

I too have a non-cut program (by choice, not by administrative directive) and love "1776."  The drawback as a choice for our program is that only two women sing.  You have to keep Adams, Jefferson and their respective wives as gender specific.  However, by making the other members of congress - including the soloists - gender neutral, you can really beef up the cast, include as many students as you can, and feature your strongest performers.

I've had women sing "Molasses, To Rum..." and love the way "Sit Down, John" sounds with SATB. Go for it.


------------------------------
Josh Ruben, M. Ed.
Fine Arts Head
Northwest Whitfield HS (dba, The Northwest Theatre Co.)
Tunnel Hill, GA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

I saw this done at ITF this summer.  It was amazing.  Can't recall the school name but hopefully they will see your post and respond.

------------------------------
Dawn Tucker
Director of Debate, Forensics, and Theatre
Jonesboro High School
Jonesboro, AR
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

It was Holly Stanfield from Kenosha.

Here's an article I pulled up on it when I did a google search:  Kenosha students break barriers in '1776'

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel		remove preview
Kenosha students break barriers in '1776' Laden with Bibles and rum Who drinks a toast To the Ivory Coast "Hail Africa, the slavers have come" New England with Bibles and rum - "Molasses to Rum" - It is a riveting moment in the Tony Award-winning musical "1776" when Edward Rutledge, South Carolina's delegate to the Second Continental Congress, rebukes his Northern colleagues as hypocrites complicit in the slave trade. View this on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel >

------------------------------
Raymond Palasz
Auditorium Director/Director of Theatre
Schererville IN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:30
From: Dawn Tucker
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

I saw this done at ITF this summer.  It was amazing.  Can't recall the school name but hopefully they will see your post and respond.

------------------------------
Dawn Tucker
Director of Debate, Forensics, and Theatre
Jonesboro High School
Jonesboro, AR

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

Does MTI allow this?  Just curious.

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:36
From: Raymond Palasz
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

It was Holly Stanfield from Kenosha.

Here's an article I pulled up on it when I did a google search:  Kenosha students break barriers in '1776'

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel		remove preview
Kenosha students break barriers in '1776' Laden with Bibles and rum Who drinks a toast To the Ivory Coast "Hail Africa, the slavers have come" New England with Bibles and rum - "Molasses to Rum" - It is a riveting moment in the Tony Award-winning musical "1776" when Edward Rutledge, South Carolina's delegate to the Second Continental Congress, rebukes his Northern colleagues as hypocrites complicit in the slave trade. View this on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel >

------------------------------
Raymond Palasz
Auditorium Director/Director of Theatre
Schererville IN

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:30
From: Dawn Tucker
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

I saw this done at ITF this summer.  It was amazing.  Can't recall the school name but hopefully they will see your post and respond.

------------------------------
Dawn Tucker
Director of Debate, Forensics, and Theatre
Jonesboro High School
Jonesboro, AR

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

They do, which is wonderful! 
I'm just having a crisis over whether it's right for us this year. 
Performing 1776 at your High School

YouTube		remove preview
Performing 1776 at your High School 1776 the Musical is a perfect show for any high school. Cheri Steinkellner from UpStage Left Productions in Santa Barbara, CA speaks about casting a gender blind cast and the advantages of this historical musical as a counterpart to students high school history courses. View this on YouTube >

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 09:07
From: John Perry
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

Does MTI allow this?  Just curious.

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:36
From: Raymond Palasz
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

It was Holly Stanfield from Kenosha.

Here's an article I pulled up on it when I did a google search:  Kenosha students break barriers in '1776'

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel		remove preview
Kenosha students break barriers in '1776' Laden with Bibles and rum Who drinks a toast To the Ivory Coast "Hail Africa, the slavers have come" New England with Bibles and rum - "Molasses to Rum" - It is a riveting moment in the Tony Award-winning musical "1776" when Edward Rutledge, South Carolina's delegate to the Second Continental Congress, rebukes his Northern colleagues as hypocrites complicit in the slave trade. View this on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel >

------------------------------
Raymond Palasz
Auditorium Director/Director of Theatre
Schererville IN

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:30
From: Dawn Tucker
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

I saw this done at ITF this summer.  It was amazing.  Can't recall the school name but hopefully they will see your post and respond.

------------------------------
Dawn Tucker
Director of Debate, Forensics, and Theatre
Jonesboro High School
Jonesboro, AR

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

We also saw 1776 at Internationals this summer.  Amazing. North Penn High School Troupe 5464 has taken up the challenge in the Director's notes of their program to do the show with blind casting.  MTI has been wonderful.  My students are beyond exciting.  I have a social studies teacher (who is Hamilton crazy) who is working with me and our principal to create a full STEAM event for lobby displays and getting as many students in our district involved in some capacity.  Studying the Revolutionary period is in our 8th grade curriculum, so as school begins this week we are reaching out to our middle school colleagues to see what can be done.  My students are already doing dramaturgy and they were singing the score as we redid bulletin boards and cleaned the classroom this week.  The young women are thrilled they have a chance at these roles.  This is not our first venture in gender blind casting but it is the most extensive.  

But to add to some questions:  We can't have our student pit band in the fall as they are all in our extensive band/orchestra program that has many other engagements in the fall.  So.... we are looking for orchestration which by MTI regulations has to match the orchestration that is part of the licensing agreement. Having known the show since it first was performed (I'm dating myself!!!) the Kenosha production's music was the orignal orchestration. I've tried reaching out to them to ask where they rented it -- but haven't received an answer yet.  

To semi-quote John Adams:  "Does anyone know where the full digital orchestration could be found???"

------------------------------
Andrea Roney
Theatre Teacher/Director
roneya@npenn.org
North Penn School District
Hatfield PA
roneya@npenn.org
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 10:13
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

They do, which is wonderful!
I'm just having a crisis over whether it's right for us this year.
Performing 1776 at your High School

YouTube		remove preview
Performing 1776 at your High School 1776 the Musical is a perfect show for any high school. Cheri Steinkellner from UpStage Left Productions in Santa Barbara, CA speaks about casting a gender blind cast and the advantages of this historical musical as a counterpart to students high school history courses. View this on YouTube >

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Indianapolis IN

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 09:07
From: John Perry
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

Does MTI allow this?  Just curious.

------------------------------
John Perry
Drama Instructor
Atherton High School
Louisville KY

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:36
From: Raymond Palasz
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

It was Holly Stanfield from Kenosha.

Here's an article I pulled up on it when I did a google search:  Kenosha students break barriers in '1776'

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel		remove preview
Kenosha students break barriers in '1776' Laden with Bibles and rum Who drinks a toast To the Ivory Coast "Hail Africa, the slavers have come" New England with Bibles and rum - "Molasses to Rum" - It is a riveting moment in the Tony Award-winning musical "1776" when Edward Rutledge, South Carolina's delegate to the Second Continental Congress, rebukes his Northern colleagues as hypocrites complicit in the slave trade. View this on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel >

------------------------------
Raymond Palasz
Auditorium Director/Director of Theatre
Schererville IN

Original Message:
Sent: 08-25-2017 08:30
From: Dawn Tucker
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

I saw this done at ITF this summer.  It was amazing.  Can't recall the school name but hopefully they will see your post and respond.

------------------------------
Dawn Tucker
Director of Debate, Forensics, and Theatre
Jonesboro High School
Jonesboro, AR

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------

You might want to check with the publishers about this. I have seen 1776 with a woman as Stephen Hopkins, but not with a significant number of characters played by women.

While Lin-Manuel Miranda has stated that he sees no problem with a female Hamilton or Washington or other characters. It is the nature of the show to fly in the face of expected norms. 1776 on the other hand, is concerned with historical accuracy, So before you get too invested in the idea, check with the publisher.
Good luck.

James

------------------------------
James Van Leishout
Olympia WA
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-24-2017 20:15
From: Nicole Tremblay
Subject: 1776: Gender blind and large cast. Opinions?

My school has a no-cut policy, and we tend to have 40-60 in a cast. I've been asked to consider a gender-blind 1776. I'm fine with gender-blind, but concerned about the cast size. Has anyone done this show with a large chorus, and if so...how?!
Thanks!

------------------------------
Nicole Tremblay
Director of Theater
Park Tudor
Indianapolis IN
------------------------------